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What would you do?


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Hi all,

 

Just wondering what you would do?

 

I was out caching this afternoon when a couple of kids on push bikes came down the path and asked me what I was doing. I didn't hear them approaching, probably as I was so intent on searching for the cache. When they asked I stopped what I was doing, turned and walked away. They kept asking questions as I was walking away, they asked what I was hiding and I said nothing. Then they asked what are you looking for. I said nothing important and then kept walking. They stopped following me and I went back to the car and came home. One of them mentioned to his mate as I walked away that it was probably a bomb. I ignored it and kept walking. Unfortunately the woods in question was the location of a large hunt by terrorist police a couple of years ago. Link to the BBC news here

 

What I want to know is what would you do? Would you ignore it and forget about it? Report to the police that you have been caching and explain before they have a chance to report it. Any other suggestions?

 

Obviously caching is not illegal but I can see how a single male in the woods rooting around in the base of trees can look a bit suspicious.

 

I'm now worried that the kids will report it to the police.

Edited by Say_Cheese
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my feeling is that silently walking away might be taken as more suspicious than explaining what you were up to. Letting folks in on the 'secret' is a good thing, IMHO.

 

Hmm, that's what I thought.

The reason I walked away and didn't say anything is that they looked like they might muggle the cache. I know it's wrong to stereotype people, especially kids.

Also the cache in question is the first cache by a newbie and I didn't want to have been responsible for it getting muggled.

I think that I did the wrong thing, however it's done now and I am worried that the police we be called. Obviously I can explain it but I could do without the hassle.

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I'd start with something like "I am looking for some tupperware".

 

If during the followup questions, I judged that the kids were safe - I would explain Geocaching to them.

 

If not safe - just say you must have dropped it elsewhere and move on continuing to look like you are doing a bit of searching as you walk off.

 

For most adults and Law Enforcement - always explain Geocaching. I carry a copy of this brochure along as well: http://www.gpsmaze.com/uploads/files/GEOCACH_F2.pdf

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To anyone of any authority, (LEO, land managers, security, etc), I tell the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth, whipping out the same pamphlet StarBrand linked to.

To anyone else, it depends on my first impression of them. If I get the feeling that they are goobers, I tell whatever fib comes to mind. Typically, telling young hoodlums that I am a biologist in search of a reported hornet nest will keep them away. If I get the impression that they may enjoy, or at least tolerate the game, they fall into the first group.

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Difficult call because it is situation-dependent... mostly on the age and location.

 

I have several times in this situation explained the game to groups of teens at or near the cache, showed them how to use the GPS, let them find the cache and sign it, and given them the geocaching.com address and instructions on how to log it. I think it's a great game for teens and families and love to introduce them to it. The last time this happened was on a cache run to Tennessee - got to the cache site and there were eight teenage boys and girls in a mall parking lot about 9 p.m. outside a Starbucks. They were sitting on the storm drain where my GPS said was ground zero. I sat in my car and watched them for a few minutes, they seemed to be kids having fun (I've raised 5, plus their friends, and so can usually tell when kids are up to no good), so I explained what I was doing, showed them my GPS, walked them off a ways and let them find it, then gave them 2 bison tubes to hide after I left. The cache I revealed to them is still active and 2 of the kids emailed me, then hid and published the micros I gave them.

 

Once when I didn't get a good vibe from a group of teens skateboarding near the cache I just walked away.

 

Once DrFred and I went after a cache where the dirt road entrance was in a residential neighborhood. We drove down it to ground zero and got out to look. When we got out of the car we noticed that the road ended about 150' further in... at the back fence of a school playground. It was around 5 p.m., well after school hours, so we went on with the hunt, probing in the thick high bushes. It wasn't long before we heard "What ya doing, mister?", looked up and saw that four elementary-age boys had walked up the road to where we were from the school. Otay, two adults with an SUV in the woods behind a school talking to four young boys. Not good. So DrFred figures he'll run them off by saying "We're looking for some big snakes we heard were here". DrFred had no kids at that time, so he was unprepared for the completely predictable kids' response... "COOL! Can we help?!"

 

Um, no, it's time to go. Quickly. We turn to head back to the car and there are three Moms standing in the road between us and the Jeep. Unhappy Moms. Not a smile among them. Arms crossed. Bummer. So we explain the game and what we're looking for, all the while frantically looking for the cache. We really want to show these Moms the cache! Really. Otherwise our story sounds a bit lame, because... DNF. No kidding. Could not find it. Ooops. We walk to the car, still trying to explain while appearing harmless, and get the hell out of there.

 

Whoo! That could have gotten ugly! So we go down the road to find another cache. Another dirt road. Sharp rock. PSSssss... flat tire. It's when I hear the hiss of escaping air that I comment to the good doctor that I have been meaning to put a jack in this Jeep ever since I bought it. Huh.

 

DrFred's on call in a few hours, no time to wait on AAA to come out in these woods, so I drive on the flat and head for the nearest town that will have a tire shop. Limping along, flop-roll-flop, and we drive past that darn school. The parking lot is full of every kind of cop the area has to offer... local cops, county cops, state cops, and three upset Moms waving their arms and pointing at my Jeep as we limp past. Ut Oh.

 

Five police cars zoom out of the lot and surround us, guns drawn. DrFred has his hands in the air and imagines his medical career going down the tubes. "Surgeon busted with young boys in the woods"... he can see the headlines in his mind and I can see it in his eyes. So I stick both hands out the window and start explaining. They don't want to hear it. "Are there any weapons in the vehicle?" No Sir. "Give me your ID, both of you." The 'and don't make any sudden moves' goes unsaid but is crystal clear.

 

They get on the radio and give us a thorough checking out. That part doesn't worry us, we know we're clean.

 

Now they want to hear our story. I tell it and the Doc nods emphatically. They want to see this container we say is hidden back there. Um. "We could not find it." I show them the cache listing printout. I show them my laptop screen with all of the nearby caches on my map. Guns are holstered. Tensions ease. They've obviously decided that we are harmless idiots, and let us go. No, they won't loan us a jack. Tell us to stay on the shoulder and run our flashers. Have a good day.

 

At the time I was Volunteer Reviewer 'NatureFish', so that cache was archived, with extreme prejudice, as soon as I got home!

 

So, like I said, what you should do all depends on the situation!

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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I just knew that Dr. Fred guy was trouble from the first time I met him. Good thing he's moved to AL. :D

 

And the first time I met TAR we had to talk him out of tying a line to his bumper to pull a 40' tree off of the road with a sharp drop off. We pointed out that if the tree went down the hill and no was was able to untie the rope, the Suburban was likely to follow the tree down hill quickly. :ph34r:

 

Back OT-each situation is different, but I generally offer some form of "looking for something" when asked what I'm doing. The more official they are, or the more I think they are trustworthy, the more I'm likely to share.

Edited by wimseyguy
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... And the first time I met TAR we had to talk him out of tying a line to his bumper to pull a 40' tree off of the road with a sharp drop off. We pointed out that if the tree went down the hill and no was was able to untie the rope, the Suburban was likely to follow the tree down hill quickly. :D

It seemed like a good idea at the time! :ph34r:

 

No wonder my caching buddies call me a cop magnet (record so far - seven police stops in one night!), but they always seem to come away from our caching expeditions with interesting stories to tell.

 

Carry on...

 

EDIT to clarify, "stops" is the wrong word, as we rarely get stopped while driving, 'checked out' while at the cache site is what I meant! Actually stopped only twice... once with a Suburban full of cachers, at night, out of state, dipping in and out of parking lots along the road hunting a long series of micros, a whole bunch of cops set up ahead of us and waited just inside the city limit. Unfortunately at the last stop before where they were hidden waiting Ladebear68 left her GPS on the hood, so I pulled out, stopped in the middle of the street, then slowly pulled into the parking lot where they were waiting... now convinced that we were drunks. As soon as I pulled in the whole world lit up with blue lights!

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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my feeling is that silently walking away might be taken as more suspicious than explaining what you were up to. Letting folks in on the 'secret' is a good thing, IMHO.

 

Agreed. I'd explain I was caching. Then my next move depends on the folks I'm talking too. Some love the entire idea of caching. They need no other special treatmente. Some will think your daft, and pulling their leg and will still wonder what you are up too. Since caching is ok, I don't worry about them. A few may seem likely to steal the cache so either I would leave, or take the cache with me if I had found it or thought they might and sort it out with the owner later.

 

That's the long way to say "it depends" on the people who catch you caching.

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What I tell people depends on the gut feeling I get. If they seem angered or annoyed by my presence, I'll usually make something up. If there seems to be an earnest interest, especially if it's a mom and/or dad and kids I'll usually introduce them to geocaching.

 

With teens I'd be very hesitant to tell them the truth. I was a teen once, I know what they are like. Not to paint all teens with one brush, but I think teen boys in particular would be much more likely to engage in some sort of mischief involving the cache. More so than say a grandfather and his 6 year old grandson.

Edited by briansnat
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kids who follow you and ask questions WILL go back and search for whatever it is later, and/or they WILL call the police. kids who follow you with questions are looking for something interesting to happen.

 

you have a number of options, but acting cagey is not one of the better choices.

 

your best bet is probably admitting to playing a game without giving too much detail or continuing your hunt in front of them. it may be best to move your hunt off target and underwhelm them with the boringness of it, or if you have it in hand, walk away with it.

 

you can put it back later, or failing that, mail it back to the CO.

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Never just say you are looking for a ring UNLESS you (1) have a ready explanation for why it might be there, and (2) can then find it. If you don't find it in the presence of whomever is asking, they will come back search and search and find the cache and muggle it. If you "find" the ring, there is no reason for them to look.

 

Always have an explanation, fabricated though it is, for what you are doing. Usually I am investigating some sort of injury claim and am looking for evidence. I always ask potential witnesses, i.e. anyone who seems interested in what I'm doing, if they know about what happened or if they saw anything. I often approach them before they approach me. My questions usually drives them off.

 

I once had a security guard actually radio in to his command post to see if anyone else had information to aid my "investigation" and they warned me that if I came upon some tupperware, to leave it alone.

 

I have also had to explain that I am checking survey points for the new highway or sewer. (If I use sewer, I explain that because the area is environmentally sensitive, it is going to be one of the new elevated sewer lines and I assure them that no matter what anyone says, there is hardly any odor.)

 

Of course, telling the truth to cops and land managers is rarely a bad idea.

 

(Note, I've recently found myself caching while wearing a suit and tie and I become invisible because I look like I'm supposed to be doing whatever it is that I'm doing. ... Its better than a hardhat and safety vest.)

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Call me gullible, but I have a lot more trust in some kids than most adults. Being "busted" like that, I would've taken the time to explain the whole game to them. I'd probably even show them the cache and tell them it has to be hidden well enough to keep bad kids from finding it and taking it or trashing it.

 

I know kids can be michievious, but so can adults. I give kids a lot more credit than most. I think if you would've just explained it, they probably would've been excited to learn about it and possibly even checked up on the cache for you from time to time. I only say that, because I know a kid locally that likes to go check a cache near her "pappy's" house just to make sure it's still hidden well haha.

 

*edit* - Forgot to mention. Worst possible scenario in telling them what it is/was you were doing is that they do indeed muggle the cache. Then you simply rehide another. As apposed to possibly dealing with the authorites :D

Edited by JakeInPA
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Cops, land owners, land managers, rangers, security, etc.: The truth, and I give them a geocaching business card. Supposedly the hider got "adequate permission" so no problem. If the hider didn't get permission, well, that's not my problem.

 

Adult hikers/bikers/walkers: Depends on my impression of them. Sometimes I tell the truth and give them a card. Sometimes I say that a friend lost something in this area yesterday and I was going to spend a few minutes looking for it as a favor.

 

Kids, especially a group of kids: NEVER the truth, unless they mention the geocache first. Usually the "looking for lost sunglasses" story. In my experience, one kid (or a small group) in the company of an adult can act mature and interested in such an activity as geocaching. But later, when they show the neat container to their other friends, who show it to even more friends... well, that cache isn't long for this world.

 

But your keep silent and walk away tactic is probably the best way to get the police called on you.

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Cops, land owners, land managers, rangers, security, etc.: The truth, and I give them a geocaching business card. Supposedly the hider got "adequate permission" so no problem. If the hider didn't get permission, well, that's not my problem.

That part I agree with. I always assume that the cache has permission and that I therefore have permission to be there hunting for it.

 

I refuse to make up some story to cover for a cache owner who failed to get permission.

 

If I am told that the cache does not have permission I explain the game, perhaps show them the cache, and ask for permission to let it remain; if I don't get it I file an SBA and let the Reviewer sort it out with the cache owner.

 

But your keep silent and walk away tactic is probably the best way to get the police called on you.

My police friends call it "acting hinky"... no one looks more guilty than when they are trying to act innocent!

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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I came across a cache that did not have business permission last week.

I explained the game and told her it is good for her business because it puts them on the map, but i would be happy to have it removed if it is a bother. Things are too tight in these economic times for people to not want to draw business. She said it was fine to leave it there.

 

I was in a hurry the other day and wanted to hit two caches before an appointment. At BOTH ground zero's sat a different woman. I just asked each of them if they had heard of the game and they were sitting at ground zero. The first had never heard of it but was quite intrigued. The second said her mother does it all over the US (both of these women were probably in their 30's).

BOTH OF THEM helped me look for the cache. (neither were found)

 

I don't worry much about it really. I live near Seattle and people in seattle tend to not care if people are doing weird things. That's part of the reason I moved here. :D

My geopartner worries about it alot. I'm not afraid to tell people what i'm up to, or just act like I'm examining something (the view, the tree, the fence) and let them think I'm weird for doing it. If they look like they're going to ask questions I'll ask them how they are and ask them questions first. (enjoying the day? Great weather! Nice place for a walk, hey do you know where .... is?) then they forget or don't ask.

 

My favorite was yesterday when we were looking for someone on a road. A truck sped up to us pulling up, blockign part of the road and rolled down the window. There was nothing around but trees, and no one but us. My geo-buddy said, you talk to him. I thought he would ask directions. He said, "ARE YOU GEOCACHERS??" " Do you want a clue?" LOLOL

There are a lot more around than we realize. :D

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Well lessee here,

 

So far this year alone I have been stopped by no less than ten police cars. Most of them already knew about geocaching and was just making sure I was okay and not up to no good (is that a double negative? - anyways). The other officers I explained what geocaching was and they went on their way.

 

The real interesting one was in the past month or so where ground zero was 60ft from where many of the fine boys in blue hung out before they went on patrols. Keep in mind I was going for a FTF about 10:30 at night. I noticed a couple of squad cars with the guys discussing whatever cops discuss and I drove right up and rolled down my window and said "howdy". Explained to them what I was doing, gave a pamphlet and by the time I was done one of them actually helped me with the find. That was one of my more daring ways of getting an FTF but I got it :D

 

The only time I was startled during a hunt that was near state park property and two park rangers came up asking what I was up to. Now I have been camping since I was two and never had an issue with rangers. In fact I usually went out of my way to get to know them.. These guys were packing and I mean I never knew for them to be holstering gloks. I am no expert on fire arms but that is what they looked like and they were mean looking. Long story short I explained what I was doing and ended with a have a nice day but that one unnerved me a tad. Guess you never can be too careful and for goodness sake if they are official tell them the truth! If not, it's a judgement call and if asked I usually give at least a close viewpoint to the truth. The less suspicious you look the better...

 

-HHH :D

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Unless I missed it, i'm surprised that nobody mentioned, removing the cache and moving to a different area first. Sign the log / make trades, then replace the cache in the original location. Be sure to pay attention for non-geocachers, when you replace the cache.

 

Being sneaky and ignoring the kids is one of the worst reactions i've heard of. You got caught, it happens. :laughing:

Edited by Kit Fox
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One of the stories I tell folks depending of the circumstances is, "Me and my buddies use these GPSes to hide things for each other. There was supposed to be something hidden here, but it looks like someone has already found it. Oh, well. Maybe next time."

 

It's sort of like the truth, but just enough to assuage their curiosity and hopefully not come back later to find the cache or look up geocaching on the internet. It explains the GPS and me looking for something.

 

Of course, I've done the full explanation, "nothing," lost keys, etc. Depends on the circumstances.

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Difficult call because it is situation-dependent... mostly on the age and location.

 

I have several times in this situation explained the game to groups of teens at or near the cache, showed them how to use the GPS, let them find the cache and sign it, and given them the geocaching.com address and instructions on how to log it. I think it's a great game for teens and families and love to introduce them to it. The last time this happened was on a cache run to Tennessee - got to the cache site and there were eight teenage boys and girls in a mall parking lot about 9 p.m. outside a Starbucks. They were sitting on the storm drain where my GPS said was ground zero. I sat in my car and watched them for a few minutes, they seemed to be kids having fun (I've raised 5, plus their friends, and so can usually tell when kids are up to no good), so I explained what I was doing, showed them my GPS, walked them off a ways and let them find it, then gave them 2 bison tubes to hide after I left. The cache I revealed to them is still active and 2 of the kids emailed me, then hid and published the micros I gave them.

 

Once when I didn't get a good vibe from a group of teens skateboarding near the cache I just walked away.

 

Once DrFred and I went after a cache where the dirt road entrance was in a residential neighborhood. We drove down it to ground zero and got out to look. When we got out of the car we noticed that the road ended about 150' further in... at the back fence of a school playground. It was around 5 p.m., well after school hours, so we went on with the hunt, probing in the thick high bushes. It wasn't long before we heard "What ya doing, mister?", looked up and saw that four elementary-age boys had walked up the road to where we were from the school. Otay, two adults with an SUV in the woods behind a school talking to four young boys. Not good. So DrFred figures he'll run them off by saying "We're looking for some big snakes we heard were here". DrFred had no kids at that time, so he was unprepared for the completely predictable kids' response... "COOL! Can we help?!"

 

Um, no, it's time to go. Quickly. We turn to head back to the car and there are three Moms standing in the road between us and the Jeep. Unhappy Moms. Not a smile among them. Arms crossed. Bummer. So we explain the game and what we're looking for, all the while frantically looking for the cache. We really want to show these Moms the cache! Really. Otherwise our story sounds a bit lame, because... DNF. No kidding. Could not find it. Ooops. We walk to the car, still trying to explain while appearing harmless, and get the hell out of there.

 

Whoo! That could have gotten ugly! So we go down the road to find another cache. Another dirt road. Sharp rock. PSSssss... flat tire. It's when I hear the hiss of escaping air that I comment to the good doctor that I have been meaning to put a jack in this Jeep ever since I bought it. Huh.

 

DrFred's on call in a few hours, no time to wait on AAA to come out in these woods, so I drive on the flat and head for the nearest town that will have a tire shop. Limping along, flop-roll-flop, and we drive past that darn school. The parking lot is full of every kind of cop the area has to offer... local cops, county cops, state cops, and three upset Moms waving their arms and pointing at my Jeep as we limp past. Ut Oh.

 

Five police cars zoom out of the lot and surround us, guns drawn. DrFred has his hands in the air and imagines his medical career going down the tubes. "Surgeon busted with young boys in the woods"... he can see the headlines in his mind and I can see it in his eyes. So I stick both hands out the window and start explaining. They don't want to hear it. "Are there any weapons in the vehicle?" No Sir. "Give me your ID, both of you." The 'and don't make any sudden moves' goes unsaid but is crystal clear.

 

They get on the radio and give us a thorough checking out. That part doesn't worry us, we know we're clean.

 

Now they want to hear our story. I tell it and the Doc nods emphatically. They want to see this container we say is hidden back there. Um. "We could not find it." I show them the cache listing printout. I show them my laptop screen with all of the nearby caches on my map. Guns are holstered. Tensions ease. They've obviously decided that we are harmless idiots, and let us go. No, they won't loan us a jack. Tell us to stay on the shoulder and run our flashers. Have a good day.

 

At the time I was Volunteer Reviewer 'NatureFish', so that cache was archived, with extreme prejudice, as soon as I got home!

 

So, like I said, what you should do all depends on the situation!

 

OMG!!! We've gotten some really curious looks but....again, OMG!!

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One of the stories I tell folks depending of the circumstances is, "Me and my buddies use these GPSes to hide things for each other. There was supposed to be something hidden here, but it looks like someone has already found it. Oh, well. Maybe next time."

 

It's sort of like the truth, but just enough to assuage their curiosity and hopefully not come back later to find the cache or look up geocaching on the internet. It explains the GPS and me looking for something.

 

 

I used this type of excuse the one time someone asked me what I was up to. It is close enough to the truth tah if they show more interest I can steer them to the website.

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I am new to the sport and could never really figure out what the deal was with Muggles. Geocachers all over the forums were so paranoid, so I thought. When I went geocaching, I would readily tell people about it, as I think it's a great sport and people should get involved. Then I made the mistake (as I later realized) of letting some kids in on the deal when I was searching for a cache. Had them help me find it. Logged it and forgot about it. Then later I went back to the cache webpage and saw that it was taken down. Oooops! As you can probably tell, the cache had gone missing and the owner "disabled" it. And a previous cacher had posted that while caching for it, a couple of boys had jumped out and talked to him about it. Well, after reading this thread, I can see what all the fuss is about.

 

I think I'll resort to the "I'm on a scavenger hunt" story. It wouldn't be lying.

 

Happy caching!

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I always tell them I'm on a scavenger hunt. Depending on their response, I go into a brief explanation of Geocaching or not. But whenever I come across a police officer, I always tell them what I'm doing. The best one was when we were coming out of the woods and were crossing a ditch. We were on one side, two police officers were on the other headed in our direction. They were smiling (I think due to child being with me) and asked if we were hiking. Me with print outs in one hand, a hiking stick in the other, and a GPS hanging around my neck told them what we were doing. :unsure: Turned out we were actually able to help them and showed them what they were looking for. :D

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Difficult call because it is situation-dependent... mostly on the age and location.

 

I have several times in this situation explained the game to groups of teens at or near the cache, showed them how to use the GPS, let them find the cache and sign it, and given them the geocaching.com address and instructions on how to log it. I think it's a great game for teens and families and love to introduce them to it. The last time this happened was on a cache run to Tennessee - got to the cache site and there were eight teenage boys and girls in a mall parking lot about 9 p.m. outside a Starbucks. They were sitting on the storm drain where my GPS said was ground zero. I sat in my car and watched them for a few minutes, they seemed to be kids having fun (I've raised 5, plus their friends, and so can usually tell when kids are up to no good), so I explained what I was doing, showed them my GPS, walked them off a ways and let them find it, then gave them 2 bison tubes to hide after I left. The cache I revealed to them is still active and 2 of the kids emailed me, then hid and published the micros I gave them.

 

Once when I didn't get a good vibe from a group of teens skateboarding near the cache I just walked away.

 

Once DrFred and I went after a cache where the dirt road entrance was in a residential neighborhood. We drove down it to ground zero and got out to look. When we got out of the car we noticed that the road ended about 150' further in... at the back fence of a school playground. It was around 5 p.m., well after school hours, so we went on with the hunt, probing in the thick high bushes. It wasn't long before we heard "What ya doing, mister?", looked up and saw that four elementary-age boys had walked up the road to where we were from the school. Otay, two adults with an SUV in the woods behind a school talking to four young boys. Not good. So DrFred figures he'll run them off by saying "We're looking for some big snakes we heard were here". DrFred had no kids at that time, so he was unprepared for the completely predictable kids' response... "COOL! Can we help?!"

 

Um, no, it's time to go. Quickly. We turn to head back to the car and there are three Moms standing in the road between us and the Jeep. Unhappy Moms. Not a smile among them. Arms crossed. Bummer. So we explain the game and what we're looking for, all the while frantically looking for the cache. We really want to show these Moms the cache! Really. Otherwise our story sounds a bit lame, because... DNF. No kidding. Could not find it. Ooops. We walk to the car, still trying to explain while appearing harmless, and get the hell out of there.

 

Whoo! That could have gotten ugly! So we go down the road to find another cache. Another dirt road. Sharp rock. PSSssss... flat tire. It's when I hear the hiss of escaping air that I comment to the good doctor that I have been meaning to put a jack in this Jeep ever since I bought it. Huh.

 

DrFred's on call in a few hours, no time to wait on AAA to come out in these woods, so I drive on the flat and head for the nearest town that will have a tire shop. Limping along, flop-roll-flop, and we drive past that darn school. The parking lot is full of every kind of cop the area has to offer... local cops, county cops, state cops, and three upset Moms waving their arms and pointing at my Jeep as we limp past. Ut Oh.

 

Five police cars zoom out of the lot and surround us, guns drawn. DrFred has his hands in the air and imagines his medical career going down the tubes. "Surgeon busted with young boys in the woods"... he can see the headlines in his mind and I can see it in his eyes. So I stick both hands out the window and start explaining. They don't want to hear it. "Are there any weapons in the vehicle?" No Sir. "Give me your ID, both of you." The 'and don't make any sudden moves' goes unsaid but is crystal clear.

 

They get on the radio and give us a thorough checking out. That part doesn't worry us, we know we're clean.

 

Now they want to hear our story. I tell it and the Doc nods emphatically. They want to see this container we say is hidden back there. Um. "We could not find it." I show them the cache listing printout. I show them my laptop screen with all of the nearby caches on my map. Guns are holstered. Tensions ease. They've obviously decided that we are harmless idiots, and let us go. No, they won't loan us a jack. Tell us to stay on the shoulder and run our flashers. Have a good day.

 

At the time I was Volunteer Reviewer 'NatureFish', so that cache was archived, with extreme prejudice, as soon as I got home!

 

So, like I said, what you should do all depends on the situation!

LOL! That is my worst worry. That a police officer is going to come up behind me, ask me what I'm doing, and I can't find the cache! :unsure: I worry about this one way too often. LOL! And it's the main reason for a number of my DNFs.

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I always tell them I'm on a scavenger hunt. Depending on their response, I go into a brief explanation of Geocaching or not. But whenever I come across a police officer, I always tell them what I'm doing. The best one was when we were coming out of the woods and were crossing a ditch. We were on one side, two police officers were on the other headed in our direction. They were smiling (I think due to child being with me) and asked if we were hiking. Me with print outs in one hand, a hiking stick in the other, and a GPS hanging around my neck told them what we were doing. :unsure: Turned out we were actually able to help them and showed them what they were looking for. :D

 

Lots of similar responses.

 

I would have started off by telling them "I am geocaching", which, hopefully would have prompted the response "what is that?". Then I could explain what it was all about, and they'd either be interested or bored. If they were interested I would have engaged them into helping find the cache. If there were not interested they'd most likely go on there way

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I have all ways told people what I am doing. Just yesterday I scared a fisherman wile searching. Asked him how they were biting and told him what I was doing during our short conversation. For the most part they just "oh yeah I have heard of that" Another time I have shone the cache to the interested family that was hiking in the same area. Maybe I got them interested enough to pick up the game. :)

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